Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury on Sunday directed officials to modernise the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) to strengthen the country's statistical system and support evidence-based policymaking.
He instructed overhauling the national statistical organisation by updating its organisational structure and recruitment rules, expanding research opportunities and establishing a Statistics Academy.
He also called for strengthening the independence, professionalism and institutional capacity of the BBS, saying greater autonomy in publishing official statistics is essential to restoring and enhancing public confidence in government data.
The minister made the remarks while exchanging views with officials of the Statistics and Informatics Division (SID) and the BBS at Agargaon in the capital.
He later inaugurated the BBS Microdata Analysis Lab at the bureau's headquarters.
Addressing the event, the finance minister said reliable statistics are one of the fundamental pillars of sound planning and national development.
He said professionalism and independence in the dissemination of official statistics must be ensured to improve the quality, credibility and public acceptance of government data.
The minister directed the authorities concerned to revise the organisational structure and recruitment rules of the BBS to strengthen the agency's professional capacity and create better career opportunities for its officials.
He also called for expanding research opportunities and ensuring that official statistics are effectively used at every stage of policy formulation.
As part of efforts to develop skilled manpower in the statistical sector, he instructed officials to take the necessary steps to establish a Statistics Academy.
Speaking at the inauguration of the Microdata Analysis Lab, the minister said the facility would provide researchers, students, economists and policymakers with a secure and controlled environment for analysing official microdata.
He said the new facility would enable government datasets to be examined from fresh perspectives, thereby strengthening evidence-based policymaking.
According to the minister, the BBS regularly generates a large volume of microdata through national censuses and various surveys, and the new laboratory will allow those datasets to be used in a more secure, organised and research-friendly manner.
He expressed hope that the initiative would help realise the vision of "From Data to Knowledge, From Knowledge to Development."
Planning State Minister Zonayed Abdur Rahim Saki said the laboratory would create new opportunities for researchers and policymakers by promoting wider and more effective use of national data while improving the quality of research and policy analysis.
Statistics and Informatics Division Secretary Md Firoz Sarkar said expanding access to microdata must be accompanied by strict protection of respondents' confidentiality.
He said the new laboratory would serve as a model for secure data access, responsible research and institutional accountability.
Officials said the Microdata Analysis Lab is a secure on-site research facility where authorised researchers, students, economists and policymakers will be able to analyse de-identified microdata collected through national censuses and surveys.
They said the facility is expected to support academic research, policy analysis, programme evaluation and evidence-based planning while ensuring the confidentiality of survey respondents.
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